Brownies

A recipe for brownies

Barriers and facilitators in providing oral health care to nursing home residents, from the perspective of care aides—a systematic review protocol

PRISMA-P checklist. The checklist is composed of recommended items to address in a systematic review protocol. (PDF 218 kb

Axonal growth arrests after an increased accumulation of Schwann cells expressing senescence markers and stromal cells in acellular nerve allografts

Acellular nerve allografts (ANAs) and other nerve constructs do not reliably facilitate axonal regeneration across long defects (>3 cm). Causes for this deficiency are poorly understood. In this study, we determined what cells are present within ANAs before axonal growth arrest in nerve constructs and if these cells express markers of cellular stress and senescence. Using the Thy1-GFP rat and serial imaging, we identified the time and location of axonal growth arrest in long (6 cm) ANAs. Axonal growth halted within long ANAs by 4 weeks, while axons successfully regenerated across short (3 cm) ANAs. Cellular populations and markers of senescence were determined using immunohistochemistry, histology, and senescence-associated β-galactosidase staining. Both short and long ANAs were robustly repopulated with Schwann cells (SCs) and stromal cells by 2 weeks. Schwann cells (S100β(+)) represented the majority of cells repopulating both ANAs. Overall, both ANAs demonstrated similar cellular populations with the exception of increased stromal cells (fibronectin(+)/S100β(−)/CD68(−) cells) in long ANAs. Characterization of ANAs for markers of cellular senescence revealed that long ANAs accumulated much greater levels of senescence markers and a greater percentage of Schwann cells expressing the senescence marker p16 compared to short ANAs. To establish the impact of the long ANA environment on axonal regeneration, short ANAs (2 cm) that would normally support axonal regeneration were generated from long ANAs near the time of axonal growth arrest (“stressed” ANAs). These stressed ANAs contained mainly S100β(+)/p16(+) cells and markedly reduced axonal regeneration. In additional experiments, removal of the distal portion (4 cm) of long ANAs near the time of axonal growth arrest and replacement with long isografts (4 cm) rescued axonal regeneration across the defect. Neuronal culture derived from nerve following axonal growth arrest in long ANAs revealed no deficits in axonal extension. Overall, this evidence demonstrates that long ANAs are repopulated with increased p16(+) Schwann cells and stromal cells compared to short ANAs, suggesting a role for these cells in poor axonal regeneration across nerve constructs

Roger Lucky

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WHOSE MODEL STUDENT? LEARNER-CENTERED DISCOURSE AND THE POST-SECONDARY PRIVATIZATION AGENDA

Using discourse analysis, the author identifies contradictions in privatization discourse in order to highlight how state-based educational reform has used a normative language of student interests to fundamentally redefine the nature of the university’s mission and its faculty based governance structures. The author proposes a counter-discourse that creates broader discursive forums for those who view the university as a public and democratic intellectual space. A primary aim is to create affinity identities in which the social and moral agency of faculty and students is recognized and used to challenge the ongoing disruptive corporatization agenda in higher education.

A Guest

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Integrating Women\u27s Voices into Public Policy

Women are Minnesota\u27s greatest untapped resource. Despite significant growth in the visibility of women in public life, the talents and contributions of Minnesota\u27s female citizens are not yet being fully utilized. In this last decade of the century, the state faces policy challenges in human services, the environment, the economy. To most effectively meet these challenges, we need to find ways to integrate women\u27s voices more fully into public policy. Meeting this challenge is in everyone\u27s interest for several reasons. For one thing, it will make our public endeavors more equitable. Any society that makes decisions for all based on the experiences of a minority (white males, by and large Minnesota\u27s decision-makers, constitute about 47 percent of the state\u27s population) is depriving itself of a critical data base that would enrich those decisions. It is human nature to notice and respond to what you have personally experienced, and even well-meaning men may overlook implications of decisions they make for the lives of women or children. Further, because women don\u27t have the same investment in the system as those who have always viewed themselves heirs to its rewards, they may be able to see and articulate new ways to frame ideas, new approaches to implementing these ideas, new standards for measuring their success. An infusion of women\u27s voices and perspectives into the various decision-making bodies and processes of our state is important for another reason, too: It promises greater possibility for transforming and enriching our public policy. Women will bring perceptions and priorities to the public arena that are missing or muted now. Integrating what are generally seen as female values, such as nurturance and cooperation, into our public policy and our cultural norms increases chances for a more respectful, equitable, and humane society for all